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    Illinois Death Penalty

    While the Illinois death penalty was abolished 2011, a recent proposal by Governor Bruce Rauner has brought the issue back into the spotlight.

    Commentary
    A decade past the death penalty in Illinois: An Injustice Watch video series

    Ten years ago Illinois abolished the death penalty. These people helped make it happen.

    By Juliet Sorensen | May 7, 2021

    Seven people who advocated for the end of capital punishment reflect on the movement that led Illinois to abolish the death penalty in 2011.

    Commentary

    The silver lining in Rauner’s death penalty cloud

    By Rob Warden | May 14, 2018

    While Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal to restore the death penalty is a terrible idea for Illinois, the silver lining is that the proposal would be a step in the right direction for 31 states that still employ the practice.

    News

    DNA disproves evidence used to convict two in 1986 Chicago murder, lawyers say

    By Emily Hoerner and Jeanne Kuang | December 22, 2017

    Recent DNA testing supports the contention of inmates Curtis Croft and Demetrius Henderson that they have spent years in prison for a rape and murder they did not commit, a newly-filed petition states.

    Projects

    Pattern of misstated facts found in opinions of renowned U.S. Judge Easterbrook

    By Emily Hoerner and Rick Tulsky | April 4, 2017

    When respected law professor Albert Alschuler said renowned federal appeals court judge Frank Easterbrook engaged in “eight whoppers” in a high-profile case, Injustice Watch undertook a review of the judge’s other cases. The result: A pattern of misrepresenting facts: Misstatements, omissions and wrong assumptions.

    News

    Rob Warden describes his path to leader for criminal justice reform

    By Injustice Watch Staff | January 31, 2017

    As a young man, the death penalty may have seemed just desserts. But Rob Warden would grow to help lead a movement to not only end the death penalty but minimize the risk of miscarriages of justice.

    About This Site

    Injustice Watch is a Chicago-based nonprofit news organization dedicated to investigating causes of systemic injustice, and helping point the path to a more just society.

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    We Recommend

    Las hospitalizaciones por Covid-19 en el Departamento de Correccionales de Illinois, provocan angustia a los seres queridos de los encarcelados

    Este artículo, publicado originalmente en inglés por Injustice Watch, está disponible en español gracias al proyecto "Traduciendo las noticias de Chicago", del Instituto de Noticias Sin Fines de Lucro (INN). Read in English.

    Our commitment to anti-racism

    We, the Injustice Watch staff, feel pain and anger, like so many in our community, over the police killing of George Floyd and the systemic racism his death represents. The list of Black people whose lives have been cut short by police brutality is excruciatingly long.

    2020 Judicial Primary Election Guide
    The scales of justice with a check mark and the words Check Your Judges

    13 states have never exonerated a prisoner based on DNA evidence. Here’s why.

    Hundreds of state prisoners have successfully used DNA evidence to win exonerations in the past three decades — except in 13 states. The states are Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont.

    Cook County judicial candidate, colleague misled jury into wrongful conviction

    This is the first of a series of Injustice Watch reports on candidates and campaigning for the Cook County Circuit Court 2018 elections.  Longtime Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Gerber achieved his lifelong dream in December 2016 when the state Supreme Court appointed him to the Cook County Circuit Court, filling a vacancy. But as he now runs to win a full six-year term, Gerber faces a potential obstacle: Another Cook County judge has ruled that Gerber and a second prosecutor made false statements to a jury that led to a wrongful conviction.

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    Our Mission

    Injustice Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that conducts in-depth research exposing institutional failures that obstruct justice and equality.

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